Means for drying interiors of vats or casks and leading out all injurious gases.



No. 663,344. Patented Dec. 4, I900. a. GROESSL.

MEANS FOR DRYING INTERIORS 0F VATS 0R CASKS AND LEADING OUT ALLINJURIOUS GASES.

(Application filed Apr. Q7, 1900.) (No Model.)

Nrrn stars GEORGE GROESSL, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN.

MEANS FOR DRYING INTERIORS 0F VATS OR CASKS AND LEADING'OUT ALLINJURIOUS GASES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,341, dated December4, 1900. Application filed April 27, 1900. Serial No. 14,618. (No model)To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE GROESSL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Green Bay, in the county of Brown and State of Wisconsin,have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Drying theInteriors of Vats or Casks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for drying the interiors of vats and casksand leading out all injurious gases.

In the manufacture of the large vats and casks used in brewing, whichhave a capacity ranging from ten to one thousand barrels, the

usual practice is to varnish the interior in order to make the vatsair-tight and gastight. The carbonic-acid gas in these large receptaclesbeing under'inore or less pressure will escape through the pores of thewood and force a passage at points where no visible outlets exist unlessthe precaution is taken of applying varnish to fill the pores of thewood and the joints between the parts of which the vat is composed. Forthis purpose it is essential that the interior of the vat or cask beabsolutely dry, as the presence of sap or moisture in the cells of thewood not only prevents the adhesion of the shellac and its penetrationinto the pores of the wood, but is extremely apt to produce bubbles inthe varnish, besides changing its color to white, due to theinfiltration of an infinite number of minute particles of air in thevarnish. It has been customary, therefore, to drive off the moisturefrom the interior surfaces of such vats by heat, for which purpose anoven fired with coke, wood-coal, or similar material has ordinarily beenused. It has been found, however, that the heated gases and otherproducts of combustion are liable to affect the men working in theinterior of the vat unpleasantly and even injuriously, besides which, ifthe first coat is applied during the continuance of the drying process,gases are produced from the shellac varnish by the heat, which aredisagreeable and even 0bnoxious.

It is the object of my invention to entirely remove these objections andto provide simple and efficient means for heating the interiors of vatsand casks by which all gases generated by evaporation from the varnishshall be drawn into the heater and either consumed or carried oifthrough a draft-pipe which discharges outside the vat, the gaseousproducts of combustion which are not fully consumed being caused tofollow a similar path, whereby the air in the vat is kept in normalcondition.

It is my purpose also to secure a more perfect combustion of the fuelused in the heater, whereby a greater heat will be produced from a givenquantity of fuel, and to produce a strong uniform heat by which the workof varnishing the interior can proceed steadily and be finished in lesstime than has been possible prior to my invention.

I aim also to prevent all possible danger of the alcoholic vapor fromthe varnish catching fire and to secure a proper ventilation by theentrance of a suitable quantity of pure air from the exterior.

My invention also comprises other novel and useful features, all ofwhich will be fully explained in the following specification and thenparticularly pointed out and defined in the claims at the close thereof.

For the purposes of said description reference is had. to theaccompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionof a vat or cask, showing my invention in operation. Fig. 2 is a similarsection showing the application of the invention to a vat or cask, whichrests upon its bilge instead of standing upright, as in Fig. 1.

The reference-numeral 1 in said drawings indicates a vat or cask, suchas is commonly used in brewing and having any capacityas, for example,from ten to one thousand barrels of beer. The vat is provided with amanhole 2 and a bung-hole 3, the latter being at the highest point inthe vat, while the manhole is located as near the bottom as practi cablefor obvious reasons.

My heater consists of a fire-box 4, capable of insertion through themanhole 2. It is supported by any suitable form of base 5 and is placedat about the center of the bottom wall of the vat for a purpose whichwill be presently explained. From its upper part a draft-pipe 6 rises,provided with a suitable number of elbows 7, whereby it is conducted toa point directly under the bung-hole 3,

through which the upper end of said pipe projects. The diameter of thispipe diminishes from the point where it unites with the heater until itis reduced sufficiently to enable it to pass through the bung-hole,leaving a small free space or opening between the latter and the pipe,forming an outlet, so the gases can be drawn from the upper part of thecask, thus ventilating the same. The heater is provided with aclose-fitting door 8 and a damper 9 of suitable construction to regulateand control the draft.

The arrangement in Fig. 2 of the drawings does not materially difierfrom that in Fig. 1, the only modification being that inasmuch as thevat or cask rests upon its bilge instead of standing on end, as shown inFig. 1, the firebox or oven 4 of the heater is preferably arranged uponthe lower horizontal side of said cask, whereas in Fig. 1 the cask isshown as being upright, with the heater placed on the head or end. I mayemploy any preferred type of oven or heater and the fuel burned thereinmay be of any kind suitable for the purpose. I prefer, however, to usewoodcoal, coke, or similar material.

By placing the heater substantially in the center of the cask or vat Iam enabled to insure a thorough interior ventilation, as the draftproduced by the heater will draw in a current of fresh air from theoutside through the manhole, which is covered with a temporary door orclosing device D, in which at the bottom provision is made for theentrance of the draft, as shown at d. This temporary door is used onlywhile the heater is in use and is removed after the operation has beencompleted. Opportunity is also given thereby for a great-er length ofthe draft-pipe 6 and a proportionate increase of heat-radiating surface.A more perfect distribution of the heat and a higher and more nearlyuniform temperature are produced from a given quantity of fuel, thisbeing largely due to the more abundant supply of oxygen to supportcombustion and the better control of the draft.

The door 8 can be kept closed, and as it is close-fitting no opening isleft except the damper 9 in said door, which regulates the draft. Asthis draft constantly flows inward through said damper there is nopossibility that the alcoholic vapor from the varnish will .catch fire,should one or more coats of varnish be applied before the dryingoperation is completed, as is frequently the case. On the contrary, theywill have no contact with the flames until they have entered the heater,where they will be entirely consumed.

Heretofore and prior to my invention workmen have generally manifestedconsiderable unwillingness to varnish the interiors of these vats, owingto the noxious character of the air they were compelled to breathe andfor other reasons already referred to. In the practical use of myinvention, however, I have found that this disinclination has enti relydisappeared and that the workmen now do the varnishing cheerfully andWithout the slightest objection. The draft may be further regulated bythe ordinary damper 9 inserted in the draft-pipe.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with a vat,or cask, having a manhole located as nearthe bottom as possible, and provided with a temporary door having adamper, of a heater arranged within said cask and having a draft-pipepassing through a bung-hole above said heater, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a vat, or cask, of a centrally-arranged heaterwithin the same havinga draft-pipe passing up to and through an upperbung-hole, and said cask being provided with a manhole as close to itsbottom as possible, and provided with a temporary door having a damperinits lowest part, said heater having a close-fitting door and damper,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I t have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- GEORGE GROESSL.

Witnesses:

HENRY RAHR, FRED A. RAHR.

